Colchester is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Delaware County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 1,782 at the 2020 census.United States Census Bureau, 2020 U.S. Census Results, Colchester town, Delaware County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Colchester%20town,%20Delaware%20County,%20New%20York The town is in the southwestern part of the county.

History

Colchester was formed from part of the town of Middletown in 1792. It was named after

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 15,555 at the 20 ...

Geography

The southern town line is the border of Sullivan County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.80%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,042 people, 837 households, and 547 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,587 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.53%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.34%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population. There were 837 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.86. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,147, and the median income for a family was $37,895. Males had a median income of $27,143 versus $20,694 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,636. About 8.5% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Colchester

* Agloe – A fictional hamlet and

copyright trap Fictitious or fake entries are deliberately incorrect entries in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and directories, added by the editors as copyright traps to reveal subsequent plagiarism or copyright infringement. There ...

that served as the inspiration for the 2008 novel ''

Paper Towns Paper Towns may refer to: * ''Paper Towns'' (novel), a 2008 novel by John Green * ''Paper Towns'' (film), a 2015 film based on the novel * ''Paper Towns'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film * Paper towns or phantom settlements, settlemen ...

'' * Butternut Grove – A hamlet located northwest of Cooks Falls. * Cooks Falls – A hamlet located southeast of Butternut Grove. * Corbett – A hamlet located north of Horton. * Downsville – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and former

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the town. * Little Spring Brook- A small hamlet on the easternmost side of the town of Colchester, New York, located north of Roscoe and south of the

Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of New York (state), New York. Part of the New York City water supply system, it was formed by the construction ...

on NYS Route 206. Population is 15 full-time residents and 35 seasonal residents. Little Spring Brook is the gateway to more than of state-owned land and

Forest Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

managed by the

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protecti ...

which is used for seasonal hunting, snowmobiling and hiking. * Gregorytown – A hamlet located southwest of Corbett. *

Horton Horton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Horton Glacier, Adelaide Island, Antarctica * Horton Ledge, Queen Elizabeth Land, Antarctica Australia * Horton, Queensland, a town and locality in the Bundaberg Region * Horton River (Australia), ...

– A hamlet located northwest of Butternut Grove. *

– Part of the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Water System. * Shinhopple – A hamlet located northwest of Horton.

Notable native

William Elbridge Sewell William Elbridge Sewell (November 16, 1851 – March 17, 1904) was a United States Navy Lieutenant commander (United States), Lieutenant Commander and the 6th Naval Governor of Guam from February 9, 1903, until he returned to the mainland Unit ...

governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territory) addresses to t ...

, was born here

References

External links

Town of Colchester official website

{{authority control Towns in Delaware County, New York Towns in New York (state)